La Vita È Bella, Life Is Beautiful
by LittleMissLeprechaun
Summary: Based on the movie of the same name. Rumplestiltskin and Belle live in late 1930's, where they meet and fall in love. Unfortunately, the 1940's is World War 2. Based in Italy. Funny, happy, tear-inducing. Au.
1. Chapter 1

**La Vita È Bella – Rumbelle Style**

Warning: This movie is _not_ a happy movie. I cry every time I watch it. However I must say that it is also my favourite movie. Rumplestiltskin is _definitely_ not how he should act, and I have changed it so the man from the movie, Guido, doesn't act like himself either – it will hopefully be a mix between the two.

_This is a simple story, but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable, there is sorrow and, like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness._

The year was 1939 when he first met her, the girl of his dreams. She had fallen out of the sky into his arms, and he had taken eggs from the farm – which later found their way on top of her fiancée's head.

It had been a sunny day, nary a cloud in the sky. Positive. It was a positive day, and most from then on had been positive too. Most.

Rumplestiltskin had been driving to a new place (it was time to start over) with this man he'd barely known. Jefferson, at least that's what he _thought _ the man's name was, was reciting a poem of some sort, which ended in "The brakes are gone." Being Rumplestiltskin, he did not acknowledge him, just lay in his seat, hat resting on his face, soaking up the midday sun.

"THE BRAKES ARE GONE!" Jefferson finally yelled out, causing Rumplestiltskin to jolt in slight terror, and trepidation.

He set to work trying to help the mad man – for what sane one would choose a stranger to take to Arezzo? He tried to pull the hand-break, he rattled the windscreen, he even tried the handle on the door in a wild hope that something might work. Nothing did. The car rattled onwards, downwards, and nothing the men could do would save it.

They were on a mountain, the biggest in Tuscany, and it showed. The car rolled, picking up speed. On a particularly rough patch of the road, Rumplestiltskin grabbed Jefferson's arm. The result causing the car to roll straight down the hill onto a field. Jefferson struggled with the wheel and cursed. This was probably not how he expected his day to go.

At the bottom of the field was a forest, of sorts. It was more like a patch of trees. _Fuck_. They were closely clumped together, and any hope of not crashing the car was futile. "We're going to die!" screamed Jefferson, and giggled to add effect. Rumplestiltskin eyed him warily.

The patch of trees only extended a hundred metres down the mountain, but it was enough for the two men inside the car to get lost. Somehow, through a decent bit of luck, they found a road, if you could call it that. It looked more like a wide walking track than anything else, but it _was _a road. It led onto tarmac, behind a pair of motorcycles actually.

The car, covered in trees, followed the motorcycles (since it was a better idea than going straight down the mountain). The motorcycles lead the way, twisting and turning through the narrow road. Rumplestiltskin stood, his legs bent at odd angles, trying to direct which way Jefferson should drive.

The road led to a small town. A fair stood at the start of this small town, ready to welcome The King. People were crowded around the road, and a couple started shouting when the motorcycles came into view. They moved to press along the edges of the road, so the motorcycles (and car which was now in view) could pass.

Rumplestiltskin shouted down to Jefferson "A crowd! Straight ahead!", then to the people "Move! Out of the way!" He gestured sharply, his right hand moving in a Hitler-esque* fashion. The crowd roared and cheered. They waved and ran after the car, stopping only when the two men had passed the band playing obnoxiously at the end. Rumplestiltskin just stared at the town, confusion painting his face.

Shortly thereafter, another two cars pulled up behind the fair. The beeped, and the crowd parted for it, cheers dying quickly on their lips.

A farm was where the Rumplestiltskin and Jefferson finally stopped. It was a small farm, seeming to sell more flowers than eggs and milk and crops. It only had one two-storey barn, a small cart, and … well that seemed to be about it.

Two pairs of legs could be seen from underneath the black car. One pair was still, as the owner was trying to fix the brakes, while the other was curling up to the first pair. They were also upside down, this owner knew next to nothing about cars, and was obviously doing more distracting than helping.

Jefferson had had enough "Move! Go for a walk! Get away from me while I'm doing this!".

Rumplestiltskin pulled himself out from under the car, he had always preferred riding a bicycle or a horse over cars – no matter how fast they travel. Unfortunately, riding a horse to Aruzzo wasn't the best idea – it would have taken a month!

Rumplestiltskin assessed the small farm and noticed a water pump. Perfect, he had gotten his hand cut going through the woods. He mumbled something about it, and headed towards it.

As he got closer, he noticed how much this farm lacked – there were two cows in total, a barn that probably housed ten chickens in total, one horse, and a hell of a lot of flowers. Next to the flowers was a pile of eggs. He'd have to ask around, see what the people here wanted for some. He hadn't had eggs for a long while.

He hung his jacket on a broom next to the pump, and started washing his hands. A small girl, only ten or eleven years old, turned around, startled.

"How's it going!" he asked in an upbeat voice. No need to scare the poor thing. He took a couple steps closer to her "What are you doing?" That part was obvious at least, she was milking a cow. "Did your mum put this stuff here?" he asked, nodding towards the cart full of flowers and eggs.

"No, the landlady did," she replied, warily moving closer to the pile.

"Is it a market? It's beautiful." he asked, "How much is it? How old are you?" Way too many questions, but she wasn't answering. Not that he'd given her time. "I've asked too many questions, haven't I? What's your name?"

"Red," she answered and her eyes grew wide.

"I'm Prince Rumplestiltskin. Nice to meet you." He took his hat off his head and bowed at a 90 degree angle.

Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew wider still. "Prince?"

"I am a Prince, indeed. All this belongs to me, this is where the Prince's estate starts. I'll call this place … " Rumplestiltskin pressed a finger to his chin in mock consideration, "Addis Ababa. I'll change it all. Remove the cows, bring in camels! It will be amazing!"

Red made a face, "Camels?"

"Perhaps a couple hippopotami as well. I must go. I have a meeting with the princess."

Red raised an eyebrow, "When?"

"Well right now, of course!" He exclaimed.

As though a message sent from the high heavens, a girl shrieked from the upstairs of the barn. It had a balcony, for some ungodly reason, and a girl – no, woman – was waving her hands about making quite the fuss. Chickens and birds flew everywhere.

Rumplestiltskin did what any decent man would do; he caught her. She'd fallen from the balcony, and was currently resting in his arms. He had collapsed when he'd caught her, and so the two were lying on the ground, nose to nose.

"Buongiorno Principessa!"

That was the day he met her. Best goddamned day of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! This story is also available on Tumblr (I have the same username/url). :)**

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It was a quiet day when Belle met Rumplestiltskin. Well, quiet until she fell from the barn into his arms. Those moments she talked to him that day were exciting, far more than the rest of the day.

She had been helping the nuns at the farm. It wasn't much, just a small bit of charity that took her out of the city one weekend of every month. It was her escape.

She was collecting the eggs from the hens who liked to roost at the top of the barn – certainly not the easiest work – when heard the wasp. It had buzzed around her face first, then circled her leg. Then it stung her.

It was a small sting, but enough for her to drop the basket of eggs and step backwards a couple paces. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that she was on the top floor of the barn, and fell off of it … into a man's arms. He had exclaimed something to her, which was lost in the moment.

They were lying face to face, nose to nose, mouth to mouth, and she immediately sat up off him. "How frightening! I almost killed myself. Did I hurt you, sir?" Belle turned away from him to hide her face. How embarrassing.

"I've never been better!" the man replied, hiding a smile when she turned to glance at him. "Do you always leave the house like this?"

"I was collecting eggs," Belle explained, "But a wasp stung me." She pressed the sting site down hard, a hiss of pain escaping her mouth.

"A wasp stung you? There? Here, let me!" And what he did just made the situation _that_ much worse. He grabbed her leg, pausing to say "Hold still, princess", and lowered his lips to it. He sucked, and then spat onto the ground a couple feet away from them. He repeated this a few times, unperturbed by her mortification.

"A wasp's poison is very dangerous," he explained between spits, "you have to get it out. Lie down, it might take a while."

Belle's tongue started working again, "No, thank you!" She pushed the strange man off of her, and took two steps back – she mustn't appear ungrateful after he saved her life..

"Did you get stung anywhere else?" Belle's eyes widened at the implication, then softened when she realised he was just trying to help.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

A silence descended between the two, broken only by the cows and the hens. The man looked around at the farm, and cleared his throat.

"What a lovely place here, it's beautiful. Pigeons fly, women fall from the sky, I'm moving here!"

This was obviously the time for Red to chime in, "It's all his! He's a prince! He wants to fill it with camels and hippopotamuses!"

Belle glanced at the small girl. She barely knew Red, preferring to let the girl work in peace, but Belle knew the girl has a _very_ active imagination. Nothing wrong with that, of course. Belle herself had an active imagination as a child. Now, though, she barely had time for it – too many 'real life' happenings.

The man gestured at Red, "Exactly, Prince Rumplestiltskin at your service, princess."

A car in the background – which Belle hadn't previously noticed – beeped, and Rumplestiltskin shouted to it. He turned to Belle, "I guess that's goodbye."

_Crap_. This guy – Rumplestiltskin – had saved her life (although he _was_ very inappropriate), and he was leaving. She had to do something. Not stop him, per se, but … she had to thank him.

"How can I thank you?" She asked.

"There's no need," he told her, grabbing his jacket from the water pump, "If you really wanted to thank me … I'll take some eggs to make a nice omelette for my squire."

Belle smiled, "Take whatever you want. It's all yours," She reminded.

"Thank you!" Rumplestiltskin exclaimed, "I'll take two- no, six, alright? They'll make a nice omelette. Goodbye Red! My regard, princess." He smiled and took a cane (where did that come from?) and pushed his hat up from behind. Red giggled. "Arrivaderci!"

He turned smartly, and strode forward twirling the cane about his hand. "Jefferson! Tonight's special: Omelette!"

Soon he was too far for his shouted words to be heard by the two girls, although they both giggled together – Belle for Red's benefit. Rumplestiltskin was a strange man, yet those moments were perhaps the most exciting of the day.

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**Thank you for reading! (You should also review ;) )**


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the lateness of this chapter. I have no excuse, and I am sorry and I doubt anyone is still interested in this now. I will endeavour to write more and post more. Sorry.

I might also add that Rumplestiltskin is Jewish. Belle is not. Just thoughts to keep in mind when reading this (but not now, in like 5 chapters)

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**Chapter 4 - The Eggs**

The two men were in Arezzo when Rumplestiltskin next spoke. Jefferson had asked where the house was – they were staying together apparently too – and Rumplestiltskin had given directions (not completely accurate, but directions nonetheless). The house the two were staying in was old, and Rumplestiltskin tried to explain why they were able to stay.

"The house itself is old, my uncle uses it for storage. There!" Rumplestiltskin pointed, "We're here."

The house was indeed old, much older – and more rundown – than the last time he had been there. His uncle's horse was out the front, Robin Hood if he remembered correctly. There was a fountain situated in front of the house, out of use, a greenhouse to the left, and a small courtyard, perfect to park the car (which Rumplestiltskin still wasn't fond of). The house didn't look big, from the outside, yet it was able to house seven people easily.

The front door was around the side, out of view. Rumplestiltskin and Jefferson hurried towards it, slamming the car doors closed. CRASH! Two men hurried from inside, one bumping into Jefferson and the other pushing Rumplestiltskin to the ground. A yell was heard from inside, and they rushed inside to help.

Rumplestiltskin's uncle lay on the floor next to an antique table, glass and blood in an intriguing pattern around him.

"Barbarians!" he rasped out, struggling to stand.

"Who were they! Why did they attack you!" Rumple fired off as assisted his uncle.

"Barbarians. I just told you." his uncle replied, face calm.

"Why did you not cry out for help? There are a few houses near here, someone would have heard you!"

"Silence is the most powerful cry," he quoted, then continued, "It's all over. Is this your poet friend?"

"Yes, my name is Jefferson. I'm also an upholsterer, and hope to get a job in the city here," he chimed in.

"Okay, good. This is an old house full of odds and ends that I've had no use for, although they're very expensive. So don't break anything! You can stay as long as you want – it's not easy being a waiter. There's an old bed." Here he took a breath and pointed to a side room next to the stairs. "Legend has it the Queen herself slept there. Nothing is more necessary than the unnecessary. The bathroom over here, also equipped with Mr. Bidet. A few books are lying around, and over there in the corner, no not that corner, is a velocipede, commonly called a bicycle. Now, I have to get back to the hotel. There's only one key. Don't lose it."

And Rumplestiltskin's uncle buttoned up his overcoat and took leave through the ornate wooden doors that were the "guest's entrance".

"I'm coming, Robin Hood!"

Jefferson and Rumplestiltskin looked at each other, in sync. "What an uncle!" Jefferson whispered.

The next day, Rumplestiltskin took Jefferson on a walk. They toured the main sites: the square, a few cafes, and … well, that was it really.

They were standing in the middle of the main square. Rumple was giddy; it was exciting coming back to his home town.

"Look at this!" he shouted to Jefferson, "Didn't I tell you? You're in a city, you can do whatever you want! If you want to do something, do it! You want to let yourself go? You want to yell? Yell!"

Upon hearing that last sentence, Jefferson let out the most bloodcurling yell, and danced around like a mad man.

"Stop it! What are you, crazy? You can't act like you do in the country. It's a civilised society here."

The two walked up behind some columns, the start of another street, whilst Rumple was still berating Jefferson. Suddenly a workman walked passed the two men, shouting "Maria! La chiave!"

A pixie-like hand threw a key out the window into the street where the man caught it, and continued on walking. Rumple and Jefferson both watched the man walk up the street, and turn right into a tavern.

That afternoon, the two found themselves in an upholstery shop, run by a man named Oreste. Two children were playing violently on the couch, slapping and kicking each other.

"Understand? If you stop thinking so much about poetry," Oreste said to Jefferson, setting his hat on the table, "you'd make your father happier, and you'd make more money than him."

"That's right, Oreste," Rumple added, "I keep telling him that too. You have to settle down. Ooh, what a nice hat," Rumple took his own off and swapped the two over, trying the other one on. "How does it look?" He turned to Jefferson.

"Nice," Oreste interrupted, "but it's mine." He took the hat off Rumple's head and put it back on the table.

"When do I start working?" Jefferson asked politely.

"You're already late!" Oreste exclaimed, "Right away! Get that armchair and take it straight to the workshop."

"That one?" Rumple said, pointing at the only armchair in the room. Oreste turned to look at it and voiced his agreement. Rumplestiltskin quickly swapped his and Oreste's hat over.

"Well, goodbye. I'm going to the town square," Rumple stated, shaking Oreste's hand after he had finished talking to Jefferson. Rumple touched the hat upon his head in salute. Oreste, not fooling for any trickery took his own hat back.

"Good bye, and behave yourself, because these are hard times. Hard, hard times."

"Hard times?" Rumple questioned, "Tell me, what is your political opinion?"

Oreste ignored Rumple as he finally addressed the two children on the couch, "Benito, Adolph, be good." Turning back to Rumple, he asked what he missed.

"I just bid you good bye," Rumple said, just as Oreste's attention strayed again. Jefferson was pulling the armchair through the door sideways, running the risk of breaking the legs. Oreste shouted at him as Rumple swapped the hats over again and ran.

Oreste turned as Rumple shouted one last goodbye, "He took my hat, but I'll find him. Benito! Shut up!"

Rumple sat in the waiting room of a bank, his new hat on his head, explaining himself to the receptionist. "I need to do the whole bureaucratic procedure to open a bookshop. How long does that take exactly?"

The receptionist levelled a look at him. "Years."

"Well then we'd better open a file now."

She raised an eyebrow, "First you apply. _Then _the department head has to sign it."

Rumplestiltskin shifted in his seat, "The depar- Oh! My eggs! I've had them since yesterday, I almost scrambled them just then. Okay, take note: 'Mister Rumplestiltskin wishes to apply – "

"He cannot sign them now!" The receptionist cried in frustration.

A man appeared from behind her desk. "What's going on?"

"I need your signature to open a bookstore."

The man ignored Rumple and addressed the receptionist again.

"Well, Mr Gaston, I told him."

"Just one signature!"

"No! My substitute will be here in an hour. Ask him. We close at one here."

Rumple checked his watch, "It's ten to one. Look, even the watch behind her desk says it!"

Gaston hurried away, not answering, or even acknowledging that Rumple had spoken.

Rumple turned to the receptionist, holding out the eggs (why was he still holding them? He had taken them out when he'd almost accidentally sat on them earlier) imploringly. "Boy, was he mean. To sign a paper, open a file, all he had to do was sign! Now I have to wait one hour for his substitute … " continuing his rant, Rumple walked over to the window to look down at Gaston walking towards his car. He leant on the window, pushing a flower pot to the edge, which fell onto, can you guess, Gaston! Gaston immediately buckled over, taking his hat off and placing it on his car, running his hand through his hair for injuries.

Rumplestiltskin started, then sprinted downstairs and outside. He ran up to Gaston, placing the eggs into Gaston's hat, "Are you hurt? Let me help you? I didn't do it on purpose!" He started brushing the dirt off Gaston's shoulders.

"Don't touch me!" Gaston pushed him off, towering over the smaller man, "You can forget about your _bookshop_." He sneered, then pushed his hat hard onto his head. Egg yolk and white dripped down his face as he lifted the hat again.

Rumplestiltskin took off running as Gaston chased after him.

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Review are always appreciated. Thank you for reading!


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